Born to Fight
Odon restlessly paced around the den, his exhaustion masked with a fierce display of determination within his red gleaming eyes. The day prior, he and his siblings had all reached their adult forms, and while they had free rein to choose whatever path they wished, while their father, Klay, had bound Odon to the one job he felt he could not succeed in: a healer. His father’s words echoed within his mind over and over again like a bullet ricocheting back and forth of a hard surface: “You cannot be a warrior Odon, it’s too dangerous.”
Mental pain, frustration, and confusion all gripped his heart with their sharp talons, and seemed to dig deeper as he allowed the emotions to fester. How could Klay do this to him? His own father? How could he tell him that he was not allowed to help fight for the pride? The sentiments made his red eyes glow brightly as he continued to walk back and forth, waiting for his father’s return to speak with him once more. As though answering his silent prayers, Klay appeared in the entryway to the den to see his son. A surprised look crossed his face as he strode into the den and closer to his son. “Odon, what are you doing here?” He asked, his voice pressing and concerned.
“Dad… I am going to become a warrior.” The words drifted from Odon’s mouth as though they were stolen from him by some unknown entity and silence quickly gripped the small cave.
Odon and Klay both held the other's gaze as the tension within thickened until finally Klay allowed a sigh to escape from his lips and cascade into the room. “Odon, you can’t become a warrior. You can’t feel pain and you’re going to get seriously hurt and not realize it, which will only lead you to an early death. I can’t lose you Odon… Son… Please reconsider becoming a healer instead. You can still help us win this war that way…” Klay’s voice revealed the fear he felt manifesting for his son. Though he truly did want Odon to live the life he wanted, he could never forgive himself for sending him to his death, or worse to an eternity of anguish living as one of Arknon’s spirits.
Anger and distress began to flare up within Odon, his eyes brightening. “Father, I was given a gift of not feeling pain! I can fight so long as my body doesn’t give out and even push myself past that! I could help save lives and end this godforsaken war! Please, you have to hear me out! I can--”
“NO ODON!” Klay’s voice boomed throughout the den and bounced off the walls reverberating into Odon’s ears, “I will not send you to your death! That is final!” The words were forced from Klay’s mouth through the lump of guilt now residing in his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to lose one of his sons to the war, even if it meant he lost his love and respect. Silence once more engulfed the cave, the soft blue from the plants within the only thing fighting off Odon’s crimson glowing eyes as his emotions began to boil over.
“Dad… I want to be like you. A great warrior for the pride. I want to help in a way I actually can. You and I both know I could never be a healer. It’s hard to understand how to ease another’s pain when you yourself don’t truly grasp the concept. You have to let me prove my worth. I am sick of always being treated like a monster, like I’ll never amount to anything and all I will ever do is hurt others… I want to be more than that, Dad…” Odon’s voice was an emotionally-charged plea, though his words fell on deaf ears. Odon looked into his father’s eyes for an answer, for his approval. All he saw was his father’s glazed over heterochromatic eyes staring back at him. Anguish and pain washed over Odon. “This isn’t fair, dad! You can’t stop me from helping! I want to be like you! I just want to be like you!” A single tear fell from Odon’s crimson eyes. A sudden darkness took over Odon as thoughts swirled within his mind like a hurricane. His eyes dulled and the room grew dark as the two stood face to face.
“I am going to fight for what I believe in, what you believe in, dad… You can’t stop me. If it means I can no longer stay within the pride, so be it…” His gaze locked on his father’s blind red eye, the scars going over it almost hypnotic and symbolic of all Klay had experienced. As his mind began to slow as his decision was made, Odon raised a paw to his own eye. “I WILL be like you dad…” With those words, his claws extended and he began to slowly drag them down the length of his face. Blood rushed from the self-inflicted wound and as his sharp claws penetrated deeper into his own skin, the blood only surged out of the lesion faster. It cascaded down his face to trickle onto the floor where it began to form a small pool. When his claws reached his eye, he let out a bloodcurdling roar of anger and dug his claws deeper into himself before making a ripping motion, and with one foul motion his eye fell to the floor to join the bloody mess that had manifested from his self-inflicted injury.
Snarling and upset, Odon’s remaining eye flared up and glowed brightly as his emotions finally overflowed. “Goodbye, Klay…” He spat the words from his mouth before he turned and left the den, his father left frozen in horror at what he had just witnessed. Odon was ready to face what lay beyond him in the unknownlands and ready to finally fight for what he believed in regardless of who believed in him or not.
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How could he? How could my own father hold me back from my dream? How can he stop me from helping our people? From protecting OUR home?
Silence laid thickly over the pride’s mountain, the darkness only broken by the blood moon that hung overhead in the sky. Its light cascaded down, touching the war torn planet which in turn cast a dark crimson hue onto all it touched, including the already red blood that was still spilling from Odon’s now distorted face. His head hung low and his single eye seemed to be void of emotion and consciousness, almost as though he was a walking corpse animated by the blood moon’s dark strings that yearned for blood lust. His deep breaths were the only thing that stirred the silence around him as he continued to march further and further from the pride, from his home.
Why did I have to be born so differently? Why couldn’t I have just been normal like my siblings, like Trise or Korah? I thought it was a blessing growing up… A lion that never had to be plagued by physical pains… A lion… No, a warrior with no ability to feel pain… A warrior with the potential of being unstoppable. The only thing that could stop such a force would be my own body giving out on me… and yet, why am I the only one that sees it as a gift?... Or at least why did I ever think it could be a blessing when all it has turned out to be is a curse.
Odon’s remaining eye glazed over as his mind whirled and spun, cycling throughout his entire life, through all his mistakes. An emotion flickered within his eyes as the memories ran through his mind like a movie as he counted every last screw up. Allowed his face to morph in sadness as the realization hit him, there were too many. To many things he wished he could take back, to many people he had hurt due to his own ignorance. As the whirlwind of thoughts fabricated into a tornado within himself he knew that what he was doing was the right choice. Even if it meant leaving the few he was close to behind. If he wasn’t allowed to fight for the pride in the pride he would have to take matters into his own hands.
“Odon?” The soft words danced through the quiet air before penetrating Odon’s ear, tearing his mind from his internal conflict and instead directing it toward the source of the voice.
Standing there was a familiar figure, one with long white fur that seemed to glow a soft pink from the dark omen that hung above the planet. The moment his crimson eye met her pale blue ones he felt as though everything with his mind had died down, only a faint howl of the thoughts were left within his heard.
“Ciera?” his own words came out no louder than the breath that escaped his lungs before he tore his gaze away from her, pulling his paw up to his face to hide the blood and gore he had inflicted on himself. A sudden wave of shame washed over him, what would Ciera think of him? What was he supposed to tell her? The two were almost as close as he was to his sister Trise, and part of him knew how upset would be with his sudden disappearance from the pride. How could he not tell her though? Odon’s only goal was to find Trise to help heal him before he left the pride but while in his thoughts he neglected to remain vigilant for the one person he didn’t want to see, or more so didn’t want to hurt.
“What happened to you…” Her concerned words cut through Odon’s heart like a freshly sharpened claw as he felt guilt begin to knot within his stomach.
“I… I was just…” His words were stammered as he desperately tried to formulate a sentence that would make sense but as the awkward silence began to drag on he allowed a sigh of defeat to escape his lips, “I’m sorry Ciera… I’m leaving the pride. My dad…. Klay won’t allow me to fight.” He looked up at her hurt eyes as he spoke and he quickly tried to back track, “-But I know I can make a difference Ciera, I know I can help end all of this bloodshed! I was going to tell you but I…” his words seemed to become lost within his mind as he stopped speaking, the look Ciera held within her eyes to much for Odon to continue to try lying though not strong enough for him to tell her he couldn’t bear the idea of having to say good bye to her.
Silence once again embraced the pridelands as the two stood facing one another. Without a word Ciera walked over to Odon, each paw placed delicately making it seem as though she was gliding over the ground as opposed to walking on it. Carefully she raised her paw to his, gently peeling it back from his now scared face to see what damage it was concealing from her. For a moment neither of the two spoke, and for that brief second the loud white noise within Odon’s mind seemed to grow silent. A small smile formed on Ciera’s face and he gently pressed her nose to his before speaking, “Well if that is what you truly want, where are WE going?”
Shock was the first emotion that seemed to enter his mind at the word “we” though before long he allowed a meek smile of his own to grow in his face, “Cierra you know you don’t have to come with me-” Though he wasn’t going to force her to join him in his journey the idea of having her by his side made his heart flutter and his now calmed mind allowed him to feel happiness, even if it was just for this short moment he had with her.
Before he could continue though she gently rested her paw over his mouth as a mischievous smile grew upon her face, “You can’t get rid of me that easy Odon. You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that if you really plan on leaving me here without you.” A soft contagious chuckle erupted from her lips as she spoke and Odon couldn’t help but allow his own deep laughter from escaping his lips.
Gently Odon looked at Ciera smiling before he gently licked a small amount of blood he had gotten on her off her cheek, “Well, I already told Trise what my intentions were as well as what my plan, dependent on dad’s reply. I told her to meet me in the usual spot, the one right outside the pridelands, so I was planning on heading there to tell her about my departure.” His words were hushed but seemed to warm the space around them, the sense of joy within his voice was evident in the words that flowed from his mouth and through the air, knowing his closest friend Ciera wanted to come with him. Though he never said it she knew it meant more to him than he had even realized. Ciera nodded to Odon, her soft smile easing his mind before the two headed off to find his sister.